Subways work to be done on priority

Sushant Ranjan

Sunday, 29 April 2018

Pune railway division held a Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee (DRUCC) meeting where officials decided to complete the conversion work of eight level crossing gates into subways in Pune-Lonavla section and in Saswad on Pune-Miraj section.

PUNE: The death of 18 school children in Kushinagar, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday, has startled the railway administration. The Railways has asked all its divisions to submit a report on the completion of work on unmanned level crossings within six months.

On Friday, the Pune railway division held a Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee (DRUCC) meeting where officials decided to complete the conversion work of eight level crossing gates into subways in Pune-Lonavla section and in Saswad on Pune-Miraj section. The division has planned to build subways at the unmanned level crossings.

According to sources in the Pune railway division, the officials submitted a report on the unmanned level crossings in the division during the meeting.

Suresh Pakher, senior board engineer, made a presentation on the unmanned level crossings. The division has planned that the eight unmanned level crossings will be closed after the completion of the subways.

Similarly, in Saswad, in the Pune-Miraj section, gate number 6, 7 and 8 will have subways. The Railways administration has given technical recognition regarding the construction of road over bridge (ROB) on the Pune-Miraj line and at the level crossing gate at Pune-Daund line. Further work will be done by the local administration.

During the meeting, DRM Milind Deouskar asked all officials to find permanent solutions to all long-pending issues faced by passengers. He said various development works, activities and passenger amenities are being provided in the Pune division.

“Work is being expedited to ensure the safety of passengers. Steps are being taken to strengthen tracks and the signal system while construction of FOB at the Pune station is in progress. Along with a 24 hour medical facility, 15 wheelchairs have also been made available to passengers. 922-holiday specials are being run during the summer vacation. In all, 2,140 extra coaches have been added to regular trains. The work of laying of two additional railway tracks in Hadapsar is being done. Passenger amenities are being provided at the Hadapsar station. This work will be completed by March 2019, which will help run some more trains in the future,” said Deouskar.

He said wherever a level crossing gate is located in the division, work of a subway will be done in a phased manner. Continuous work is being done to ensure cleanliness at stations but people throw cups, plates, etc, on railway tracks, which needs to stop. The meeting was chaired by Milind Deouskar, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), along with Praful Chandra, Additional Divisional Railway Manager (ADRM), Krishnath Patil, Senior DCM and Gaurav Jha, Senior DOM.